Stuart Hall 'repeatedly raped girls in BBC dressing room'

Broadcaster Stuart Hall raped two girls repeatedly and over a period of years in his private dressing room at the BBC in Manchester, his trial has heard. The 84-year-old denies raping and indecently assaulting the two girls.

The trial of broadcaster Stuart Hall has begun with prosecutors telling the jury that he betrayed the trust of close family friends by sexually assaulting their young daughters.

Veteran broadcaster Stuart Hall. Credit: Martin Rickett/PA Wire

Hall, 84, listened through headphones with his eyes tightly closed as prosecutor Peter Wright QC told Preston Crown Court: "He was trusted by each of the families and in return he abused their trust by raping and indecently assaulting their children."

The jury heard that Hall does not dispute having sex with the two girls, but claims that they were "fifteen or sixteen" at the time and that the relationship was consensual.

The prosecution alleges that one of the girls was younger than 13, and one younger than 16, when the assaults took place. Hall would have been in his late 40s.

"He took advantage of the influence he had over them and their continued silence. But now after all these years their silence has been broken and they are prepared to reveal publicly what happened to them at the hands of this man all those years ago," Mr Wright said.

Hall denies fifteen counts of rape and four of indecent assault between 1976 and 1980.